Funny business

Humor, that is. I often marvel at the fact that two people can look at or hear the same thing and only one of them finds it funny. For instance, when you tell a joke (and I'm awful at it because I often forget the way it's supposed to be told especially if it's one of those long, drawn-out ones with a punny punch line) it's somewhat expected that the other person will laugh, groan or do something, even say: "Wow, that's not funny," while the one who just told the joke is laughing their butt off at their own joke, followed by: II can't believe you don't think that's funny!!??"

Or when you're in a movie theater watching...say, the movie 'Monsters, Inc.' (one of my all time favorites) You know the kids are going to scream with laughter at all the slapstick while the adults will howl at some the more sophisticated humor that the little ones haven't lived long enough to "get". Well, just that phenomenon itself makes me crack up and I'm often watching and listening to the audience as much as the movie (figure I can always rent it and watch it in complete silence in my own living room)

Physical comedy, when done well, will eternally be funny, especially when there's squeaking involved; whether it's the rotund Kevin James in 'Paul Blart, Mall Cop', diving and attempting to slide behind a pillar to evade the bad guys, not quite making it and inching his way with little squeaks or Russell, in the movie 'UP', tethered and dragging across the blimp window with a continuous squeak.

Then there's the stuff that you know isn't really funny from the standpoint that it pokes fun at ethnic groups or other groups of people but the absurdity of the visuals makes it difficult not too. The in-the-buff hotel room wrestling scene from 'Borat' comes to mind (yes I sat through the whole movie because I was essentially stunned) and clearly stays with one, especially since humans haven't invented a way or haven't evolved highly enough to selectively flush unwanted memories from the memory center of the brain.

Not to suggest that I only find silly, slapstick funny, of course. I just can't think of any good examples of super sophisticated humor right this second. Feel free to add to and expand my list so far.


I scribbled this in the ice on my glass storm door this morning, it's now warmed up to a balmy minus 2 degrees and the writing has disappeared.

I don't often link back to old blips but last year on this day we had a light snowfall of the most perfect, individual flakes that I've ever seen.